Boks TemuanPsalms 74:1--77:20
KonteksA well-written song 2 by Asaph.
74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? 3
Why does your anger burn 4 against the sheep of your pasture?
74:2 Remember your people 5 whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued 6 so they could be your very own nation, 7
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
74:3 Hurry and look 8 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 9
74:4 Your enemies roar 10 in the middle of your sanctuary; 11
they set up their battle flags. 12
74:5 They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest. 13
74:6 And now 14 they are tearing down 15 all its engravings 16
74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. 19
74:8 They say to themselves, 20
“We will oppress all of them.” 21
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. 22
74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; 23
there are no longer any prophets 24
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. 25
74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
74:11 Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him! 26
74:12 But God has been my 27 king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth. 28
74:13 You destroyed 29 the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster 30 in the water.
74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; 31
you fed 32 him to the people who live along the coast. 33
74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; 34
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. 35
74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; 36
you put the moon 37 and sun in place. 38
74:17 You set up all the boundaries 39 of the earth;
you created the cycle of summer and winter. 40
74:18 Remember how 41 the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, 42
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!
74:19 Do not hand the life of your dove 43 over to a wild animal!
Do not continue to disregard 44 the lives of your oppressed people!
74:20 Remember your covenant promises, 45
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. 46
74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! 47
74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! 48
Remember how fools insult you all day long! 49
74:23 Do not disregard 50 what your enemies say, 51
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. 52
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 54 a psalm of Asaph; a song.
75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!
You reveal your presence; 55
people tell about your amazing deeds.
“At the appointed times, 57
I judge 58 fairly.
75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, 59
I make its pillars secure.” 60 (Selah)
75:4 61 I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”
and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory! 62
75:5 Do not be so certain you have won! 63
Do not speak with your head held so high! 64
75:6 For victory does not come from the east or west,
or from the wilderness. 65
He brings one down and exalts another. 67
75:8 For the Lord holds in his hand a cup full
of foaming wine mixed with spices, 68
and pours it out. 69
Surely all the wicked of the earth
will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.” 70
75:9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; 71
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob!
“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.” 73
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; 75
in Israel his reputation 76 is great.
he dwells in Zion. 78
76:3 There he shattered the arrows, 79
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war. 80 (Selah)
76:4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,
as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey. 81
76:5 The bravehearted 82 were plundered; 83
they “fell asleep.” 84
All the warriors were helpless. 85
76:6 At the sound of your battle cry, 86 O God of Jacob,
both rider 87 and horse “fell asleep.” 88
76:7 You are awesome! Yes, you!
Who can withstand your intense anger? 89
76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. 90
The earth 91 was afraid and silent
76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,
and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)
76:10 Certainly 92 your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; 93
you reveal your anger in full measure. 94
76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!
Let all those who surround him 95 bring tribute to the awesome one!
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. 97
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.
77:1 I will cry out to God 99 and call for help!
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention 100 to me.
77:2 In my time of trouble I sought 101 the Lord.
I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. 102
I 103 refused to be comforted.
77:3 I said, “I will remember God while I groan;
I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” 104 (Selah)
77:4 You held my eyelids open; 105
I was troubled and could not speak. 106
77:5 I thought about the days of old,
about ancient times. 107
77:6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang;
I will think very carefully.”
I tried to make sense of what was happening. 108
77:7 I asked, 109 “Will the Lord reject me forever?
Will he never again show me his favor?
77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?
Has his promise 110 failed forever?
77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has his anger stifled his compassion?”
77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the sovereign One 111 might become inactive. 112
77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! 113
77:12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds!”
77:13 114 O God, your deeds are extraordinary! 115
What god can compare to our great God? 116
77:14 You are the God who does amazing things;
you have revealed your strength among the nations.
77:15 You delivered 117 your people by your strength 118 –
the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
77:16 The waters 119 saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled. 120
Yes, the depths of the sea 121 shook with fear. 122
77:17 The clouds poured down rain; 123
the skies thundered. 124
Yes, your arrows 125 flashed about.
77:18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;
the lightning bolts lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook. 126
77:19 You walked through the sea; 127
you passed through the surging waters, 128
but left no footprints. 129
77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
[74:1] 1 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586
[74:1] 2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[74:1] 3 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
[74:1] 4 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
[74:2] 5 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
[74:2] 6 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
[74:2] 7 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
[74:3] 9 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
[74:3] 10 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
[74:4] 13 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
[74:4] 14 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
[74:4] 15 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
[74:5] 17 tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.
[74:6] 21 tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”
[74:6] 22 tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
[74:6] 23 tn Heb “its engravings together.”
[74:6] 24 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).
[74:6] 25 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).
[74:7] 25 tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”
[74:8] 29 tn Heb “in their heart.”
[74:8] 30 tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).
[74:8] 31 tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
[74:9] 33 tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
[74:9] 34 tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
[74:9] 35 tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”
[74:11] 37 tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.
[74:12] 41 tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.
[74:12] 42 tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
[74:13] 45 tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”
[74:13] 46 tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.
[74:14] 49 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
[74:14] 50 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
[74:14] 51 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
[74:15] 53 sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).
[74:15] 54 sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).
[74:16] 57 tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”
[74:16] 58 tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.
[74:16] 59 tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”
[74:17] 61 tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.
[74:17] 62 tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”
[74:18] 65 tn Heb “remember this.”
[74:18] 66 tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the
[74:19] 69 sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.
[74:19] 70 tn Heb “do not forget forever.”
[74:20] 73 tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).
[74:20] 74 tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
[74:21] 77 sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.
[74:22] 81 tn Or “defend your cause.”
[74:22] 82 tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”
[74:23] 86 tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”
[74:23] 87 tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”
[75:1] 89 sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
[75:1] 90 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.
[75:1] 91 tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”
[75:2] 93 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.
[75:2] 94 tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”
[75:2] 95 tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”
[75:3] 98 tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”
[75:4] 101 tn The identity of the speaker in vv. 4-6 is unclear. The present translation assumes that the psalmist, who also speaks in vv. 7-9 (where God/the
[75:4] 102 tn Heb “do not lift up a horn.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Here the idiom seems to refer to an arrogant attitude that assumes victory has been achieved.
[75:5] 105 tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”
[75:5] 106 tn Heb “[do not] speak with unrestrained neck.” The negative particle is understood in this line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[75:6] 109 tn Heb “for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness of the mountains.” If one follows this reading the sentence is elliptical. One must supply “does help come,” or some comparable statement. However, it is possible to take הָרִים (harim) as a Hiphil infinitive from רוּם (rum), the same verb used in vv. 4-5 of “lifting up” a horn. In this case one may translate the form as “victory.” In this case the point is that victory does not come from alliances with other nations.
[75:7] 114 tn The imperfects here emphasize the generalizing nature of the statement.
[75:8] 117 tn Heb “for a cup [is] in the hand of the
[75:8] 118 tn Heb “and he pours out from this.”
[75:8] 119 tn Heb “surely its dregs they slurp up and drink, all the wicked of the earth.”
[75:9] 121 tn Heb “I will declare forever.” The object needs to be supplied; God’s just judgment is in view.
[75:10] 125 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.
[75:10] 126 tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).
[76:1] 129 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
[76:1] 130 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
[76:1] 131 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[76:2] 133 sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
[76:2] 134 tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
[76:3] 137 tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.
[76:3] 138 tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.
[76:4] 141 tn Heb “radiant [are] you, majestic from the hills of prey.” God is depicted as a victorious king and as a lion that has killed its victims.
[76:5] 145 tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).
[76:5] 146 tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the Hitpolel (see GKC 149 §54.a, n. 2); the root is שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder”).
[76:5] 147 tn Heb “they slept [in] their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death. A number of modern translations take the phrase to refer to something less than death, however: NASB “cast into a deep sleep”; NEB “fall senseless”; NIV “lie still”; NRSV “lay stunned.”
[76:5] 148 tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”
[76:6] 149 tn Heb “from your shout.” The noun is derived from the Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 18:15; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[76:6] 150 tn Or “chariot,” but even so the term is metonymic for the charioteer.
[76:6] 151 tn Heb “he fell asleep, and [the] chariot and [the] horse.” Once again (see v. 5) “sleep” refers here to the “sleep” of death.
[76:7] 153 tc Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The Hebrew expression מֵאָז (me’az, “from the time of”) is better emended to מֵאֹז (me’oz, “from [i.e., “because of”] the strength of your anger”; see Ps 90:11).
[76:8] 157 tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”
[76:8] 158 tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.
[76:10] 162 tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).
[76:10] 163 tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.
[76:11] 165 tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.
[76:12] 169 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
[76:12] 170 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
[77:1] 173 sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.
[77:1] 174 tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.
[77:1] 175 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).
[77:2] 177 tn Here the psalmist refers back to the very recent past, when he began to pray for divine help.
[77:2] 178 tn Heb “my hand [at] night was extended and was not growing numb.” The verb נָגַר (nagar), which can mean “flow” in certain contexts, here has the nuance “be extended.” The imperfect form (תָפוּג, tafug, “to be numb”) is used here to describe continuous action in the past.
[77:2] 179 tn Or “my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[77:3] 181 tn Heb “I will remember God and I will groan, I will reflect and my spirit will grow faint.” The first three verbs are cohortatives, the last a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The psalmist’s statement in v. 4 could be understood as concurrent with v. 1, or, more likely, as a quotation of what he had said earlier as he prayed to God (see v. 2). The words “I said” are supplied in the translation at the beginning of the verse to reflect this interpretation (see v. 10).
[77:4] 185 tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).
[77:4] 186 tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.
[77:5] 189 tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”
[77:6] 193 tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.
[77:7] 197 tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[77:8] 201 tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
[77:10] 205 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
[77:10] 206 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
[77:11] 209 tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”
[77:13] 213 sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
[77:13] 214 tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
[77:13] 215 tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
[77:15] 218 tn Heb “with [your] arm.”
[77:16] 221 tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
[77:16] 222 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
[77:16] 223 tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[77:16] 224 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
[77:17] 226 tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
[77:17] 227 tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the
[77:18] 229 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
[77:19] 233 tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
[77:19] 234 tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
